Archive for August, 2012|Monthly archive page

Welcome to Jacksonville State, located in Jacksonville. Jacksonville, Alabama. That’s right! You thought I meant Florida! Well you are wrong-o.

Located in northeast Alabama, Jacksonville State was founded in 1883 as “Jacksonville State Normal School”. I don’t know about you, but as a marketer, it made me breathe a sigh of relief that they took the “Normal” and “School” out. And yes, I know I could research farther and find out that “Normal” in1883 did not mean then what we mean now, but I don’t want to do that. I hope the prospective new student pamphlets say things like, “Far From Normal”…

Located a short 27 miles south of the real University of Kentucky (only in Kentucky, I know) Eastern Kentucky University was originally established as Central University in 1874. I won’t bore you with the numerous name changes, financial difficulties, and school consolidations the institution has undergone since its inception (great movie btw) but they seemed to have turned out alright as they now offer 160 degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctorate levels via seven locations in awesome places like Lancaster, Somerset, and Corbin! Overall it seems to be a fine academic institution boasting several of the quasi-respectable national recognitions/rankings that Belmont often tastefully emblazons on the front door of its campus. EKU also appears to be recognized nationally as super-friendly to service vets so I’ll tone down the sass so as not to further risk a pummeling when I visit their campus to see Belmont beat them this year (there I go again!). Total enrollment via all campuses is under 17,000 students (about 14,520 at their main campus in Richmond).

For the next two months, the Byrd Cage will be previewing Belmont’s new OVC opponents. We’ll introduce you to the mascots, the history, the players- pretty much anything you need to know to get ready for the upcoming season.

With Belmont facing reigning All-American Isaiah Canaan of Murray State this year, it prompted thought on who were the best individual players Belmont faced in the Atlantic Sun era.

This list may surprise some, especially considering that talented, accomplished players like Jonathan Rodriguez (Campbell), Courtney Pigram (ETSU), and Torrey Craig (USC Upstate) did not crack the Top 10. The list was defined as ‘The Top 10 Toughest Opposing Players’ during the Belmont A-Sun era (2002-2012).

The Byrd Cage welcomes Greg Sage for a special collaboration. Sage has been with Belmont University for the past eight years as the Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations. He also teams with the Voice of the Bruins, Kevin Ingram, as color analyst for the Bruin Sports Network.

All about Belmont Men’s Basketball. This is a fansite, not affiliated with Belmont University. Editors: Brett, Kyle Director of Content: Nick For the latest and greatest, follow us on Twitter: @belmontbyrdcage Tips? Questions? Suggestions? Send it to; editorbelmontbyrdcage@gmail.com